Art Event Application Best Practices

While we just hit summer, we're officially in the season of important application deadlines for winter and holiday art events. In Austin that means Blue Genie Art Bazaar, Cherrywood Art Fair, East Austin Studio Tour and more. Knowing that many of you artists and crafters sell the most during gift giving occasions, I wanted to highlight a few tips for entering art events so you have the greatest chance at acceptance. In future posts we'll move on to how you can be successful once you're in a show. I want to help you demonstrate to the organizers and jurors why you'd be a great fit!

Social Media Planning to Save Time

As I've said before, Social Media is a marathon, not a sprint. It takes time, but it doesn't have to be a time suck. All you need is a routine to make your planning streamlined and your posting more efficient. There's no one-size-fits-all solution, but here's how I handle my social marketing to give you inspiration for your own process. You can also follow me to see my posting in action. If you have an approach that's different, I'd love to hear what works for you.

Social Media Posting Like a Pro

Social Media is all about sharing and connecting! Channels like Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest give you the chance to find your audience, tell them your story, find inspiration, promote what you make and even drive sales. The best part is that you can do all of this for free! An advertising budget is bonus. All it takes is time and planning. What should you post? Which channels are best? How often should you update your fans? There's no one answer to any of these questions, but there are some general rules to guide you. Social Media is a marathon, not a sprint, and here are some recommendations to help you run the race steady and true.

Instagram 101 for Artists

Instagram is a community built on visual creativity, and as such, its ideal for artists of all kinds. Its a place to share photos and videos of what you make and what you see. It's the ideal outlet for finding inspiration and connecting with collaborators. I may sound biased (because I am, this is my favorite social platform), but I can objectively say that this social outlet offers many advantages for the art community. Here's what you need to know to make Instagram work for you and your handmade business. Share, See, Sell!

Follow @CraftingExposure on Instagram